Systems and methods for prerating costs for a communication event

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for preparing communication events, such as telephone calls, for prepaying customers are described. The systems and methods permit, at the beginning of a communication event, the determination of a time limit for the event based on the available balance in a prepayment account associated with the event.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation application of U.S. Ser. No.09/371,176, filed Aug. 11, 1999 and now U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,563, whichclaims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/096,065, filed 11Aug. 1998, the contents of all of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

As cellular communication services have become increasingly availableand common, traditional methods of receiving payment for cellularservices have been found lacking. Commonly, services are rendered to acustomer and at the end of a set period, a bill is sent to the customerfor the services rendered during that period. This essentially amountsto extending credit to the customer. For traditional, residentialtelephone customers, service can easily be terminated for non-payment ofsuch bills because the offender is easily identified and is in a fixedlocation. Cellular communication customers, however, have been able toevade payment of such bills by seeking service from a new provider whenprior service has been terminated. The cycle can continue in thisfashion, with each successive provider losing money to such customers.

Prepayment for cellular services is being widely embraced as a solutionto this problem. Using this system, a customer provides money to aservice provider in advance of the rendering of communication services.Service charges are then deducted from the customer's balance until theprepayment is depleted. Unlike many services, though, the costs oftelephone communication are often a complex conglomeration of fees basedon a wide array of factors, such as connection charges, surcharges,taxes, and other charges. Furthermore, many of these factors can varywidely, even during a single connection, based on conditions such as thetime of day, the locations of the calling parties, volume discounts, andother variables. For example, a cellular communication device may movefrom one calling area to another resulting in a substantial change inthe rate. Such factors make determining the quantity of serviceavailable for a fixed, prepaid amount a complex endeavor.

One solution currently in use is to determine, on a minute-by-minutebasis, the accumulated service charge and compare this amount to theamount of prepayment as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,067,incorporated herein by reference. This technique, however, requires aconsiderable amount of processing support for the repeated calculations,because once each minute, the cost of the previous minute must becalculated, deducted from the available balance. Furthermore, thedepletion of the balance must be monitored in order to notify the callerwhen the call will be terminated. A method for reducing the processingnecessary to meter service would greatly reduce the costs associatedwith providing communication services to prepaid callers.

SUMMARY

The systems and methods described herein may be used to metercommunications services under a prepayment plan, for example, bydetermining, upon initiation of a communication event, a duration forthat event for which the cost will be approximately equal to a prepaidbalance. In this way, services can be terminated at the end of theduration, thereby preventing charges in excess of the prepaid balancewithout requiring repeated calculations during the communication event.

In one aspect, the systems and methods described herein relate to aprocess for metering a communication event by identifying an initiationof a communication event, identifying an account balance associated withthe communication event, determining a duration of the communicationevent for which an accrued cost of the communication event isapproximately equal to the account balance.

A signal for identifying an initiation of a communication event mayinclude information representative of the identity of the userinitiating the communication event, such as the originating phonenumber, an automated number identification code (ANI), equipmentidentification number (EIN), or mobile identification number (MIN), thetime at which the event was initiated, the location from which the eventwas initiated, the recipient of the event, such as a dialed numberidentification system code (DNIS), the location of the recipient of theevent, the distance between the user and the recipient, the serviceprovider handling the event, or any other information. Such informationmay be used to identify an associated account balance, or an additionalinput, such as a calling card number or coupon number may be received.An account balance, as the term is used herein, refers to a prepaidamount of money which may be applied to defray the cost of acommunication event.

In one practice, determining a duration includes identifying, uponinitiation of the communication event, a rate schedule for thecommunication event. A rate schedule, as the term is used herein, refersto an aggregate charge representative of the total cost of acommunication event, and may include fixed amounts, rates per unit time,or any other type of fee. In one practice, identifying a rate scheduleincludes determining a connection charge rate and a tax charge rate. Incertain practices, identifying a rate schedule further includesdetermining a factor selected from available free time, endpoints of thecommunication event, distance of the communication event, and time ofday. In one practice, identifying a rate schedule for the communicationevent includes determining a cost per second rate.

In one practice, the process includes terminating the communicationevent at the end of the determined duration. In another practice, theprocess includes deducting a cost of the communication event from theavailable balance upon termination of the communication event.

In one practice, identifying an initiation of a communication eventincludes identifying an initiation of a telephone call, such as acellular telephone call. In certain practices, identifying an accountbalance includes an act selected from receiving an account code from auser, receiving an account code from a recipient, identifying a devicereceiving the communication event, and identifying a device initiatingthe communication event.

The systems and methods described herein also provide a system formetering a communication event, including a communication interface toreceive information representative of initiation of a communicationevent, a database coupled to the communication interface to storeinformation associated with a plurality of accounts, and a processorcoupled to the database to identify an account balance associated withthe communication event and to determine a duration of the communicationevent for which an accrued cost of the communication event isapproximately equal to the account balance.

In one embodiment, the processor includes a rate mechanism to determinea duration, upon initiation of the event by identifying and employing arate schedule for the communication event. A rate mechanism may be anycalculation or strategy for determining the rate scehdule or aggregatecharge on the basis of a plurality of individual charges, which mayinclude fixed fees, rate-per-time charges, or other fees. In oneembodiment, the rate mechanism includes means for identifying a rateschedule by determining at least a connection charge rate and a taxcharge rate. In certain embodiments, the rate mechanism further includesmeans for determining at least one factor selected from available freetime, endpoints of the communication event, distance of thecommunication event, and time of day. In one embodiment, the rateschedule for the communication event includes a cost per second rate.

In certain embodiments, the system further comprises a transmitter tosend a signal for terminating the communication event at the end of thedetermined duration. In certain embodiments, the communication event isa telephone call. In one embodiment, the telephone call is initiated bya cellular telephone.

In certain embodiments, the processor includes means for identifying anaccount balance by a method selected from receiving an account code froma user, receiving an account code from a recipient, identifying a deviceinitiating the communication event, and identifying a device receivingthe communication event.

In yet another embodiment, the systems and methods disclosed hereinrelate to a system for regulating prepayment for a mobile communicationevent, including a first database to store information representative ofrate plans for a plurality of communication service providers, a seconddatabase to store information associated with a plurality of accounts, acommunication interface to receive information representative ofinitiation of a communication event, a processor coupled to the firstdatabase, the second database, and the communication interface toidentify an account balance associated with the communication event andto determine, upon initiation of the communication event, a duration ofthe communication event for which an accrued cost of the communicationevent is approximately equal to the account balance.

In certain embodiments, the rate plans include cost per second rates. Inone embodiment, the processor includes a rate mechanism to determine aduration, upon initiation of the event by identifying and employing arate schedule for the communication event. In one such embodiment, therate mechanism includes means for identifying a rate schedule bydetermining at least a connection charge rate and a tax charge rate. Incertain embodiments, the rate mechanism further includes means foridentifying a rate schedule by determining at least one factor selectedfrom available free time, endpoints of the communication event, distanceof the communication event, and time of day.

In certain embodiments, the system further includes a transmitter tosend a signal for terminating the communication event at the end of thedetermined duration. In certain embodiments, the communication event isa telephone call. In one embodiment, the telephone call is initiated bya cellular telephone.

In certain embodiments, the processor includes means for identifying anaccount balance associated with the user. In certain embodiments, theprocessor includes means for identifying an account balance associatedwith the recipient.

In another practice, the systems and methods described herein provide amethod for regulating prepayment for a mobile communication event bystoring information representative of rate plans for a plurality ofcommunication service providers, storing information associated with aplurality of user accounts, identifying an initiation of a communicationevent, identifying an account balance associated with the communicationevent, and determining, upon initiation of the communication event, aduration of the communication event for which an accrued cost of thecommunication event is approximately equal to the account balance, as afunction of the service provider handling the communication event.

In certain embodiments, storing information representative of rate plansincludes storing cost per second rates.

In certain embodiments, the method further includes identifying atransfer of service from a first service provider to a second serviceprovider, and determining a duration of the communication event forwhich an accrued cost of the communication event is approximately equalto the account balance, as a function of the second service providerhandling the communication event.

In certain embodiments, determining a duration includes identifying,upon initiation of the communication event, a rate schedule for thecommunication event. In one embodiment, identifying a rate scheduleincludes determining a connection charge rate and a tax charge rate.

In certain embodiments, identifying a rate schedule further includesdetermining a factor selected from available free time, endpoints of thecommunication event, distance of the communication event, and time ofday.

In certain embodiments, the method includes terminating thecommunication event at the end of the determined duration. In otherembodiments, the method includes comprising deducting a cost of thecommunication event from the available balance upon termination of thecommunication event.

In certain embodiments, identifying an initiation of a communicationevent includes identifying an initiation of a telephone call. In oneembodiment, identifying an initiation of a communication event includesidentifying an initiation of a cellular telephone call.

In certain embodiments, identifying an account balance includes an actselected from receiving an account code from a user, and identifying adevice initiating the communication event.

In certain embodiments, identifying an account balance includes an actselected from receiving an account code from a recipient, andidentifying a device receiving the communication event.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE FIGURES

The following figures depict certain illustrative embodiments of theinvention in which like reference numerals refer to like elements. Thesedepicted embodiments are to be understood as illustrative of theinvention and not as limiting in any way:

FIG. 1 depicts a centralized system for metering communication services;

FIG. 2 shows a decentralized system where separate service providersemploy separate prepayment systems;

FIG. 3 presents an embodiment of a prepayment system capable ofservicing communication events on a network; and,

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of a method for metering communicationservices.

DESCRIPTION

The description below pertains to several illustrative embodiments ofthe invention. Although many variations of the systems and methods maybe envisioned by one skilled in the art from a review of theillustrative embodiments, such variations and improvements are intendedto fall within the compass of this disclosure. Thus, the scope of theinvention is not to be limited in any way by the disclosure below.

The systems and methods described herein are useful for meteringcommunications services provided under a prepayment plan, for example,by determining, upon initiation of a communication event, a duration forthat event which results in a cost for that event approximately equal toa prepaid balance. In this way, services can be terminated at the end ofthe duration to prevent charges in excess of the prepaid balance withoutrequiring repeated calculations during the communication event.

FIG. 1 depicts an overview of one system according to the invention forregulating the prepayment of a mobile cellular telephone call over acellular network. Specifically, FIG. 1 depicts a prepayment system 100that communicates with a communications network 102, such as a cellularcommunications network. The cellular network 102 may include cellularantenna 108 linked to cellular switch 120. Cellular switch 120 furthermay be connected to cellular service provider 150A connected to thelocal exchange carrier (LEC) 180. A second cellular antenna 106 may belinked to a cellular switch 125 of a second cellular service provider150C connected to the LEC 180.

The depicted prepayment system 100 can include a data processingplatform, or processor, 110, databases 160 and 170 and a communicationinterface 130. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the prepayment system 100,including processor 110, databases 160 and 170, and communicationinterface 130 may be connected to cellular switches 120 and 125 or toany other component suitable for executing the functions describedbelow. The depicted data processor 110 can be a conventional dataprocessing platform such as an IBM PC-compatible computer running theWindows NT operating systems, or a SUN workstation running a Unixoperating system. Alternatively, the data processor 110 can comprise adedicated processing system that includes an embedded programmable dataprocessing system. For example, the data processor 110 can comprise asingle board computer system that has been integrated into the cellularswitch 125 of the communications network 102. The single board computer(SBC) system can be any suitable SBC, including the SBCs sold by theMicro/Sys Company, which include microprocessors, data memory andprogram memory, as well as expandable bus configurations and an on-boardoperating system.

The depicted databases 160 and 170 may store information associated witha plurality of accounts, such as account balances, and informationrepresentative of rate plans for a plurality of communication serviceproviders, respectively. It will be understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art that the depicted databases can be any suitabledatabase systems, including the commercially available Microsoft Accessdatabase. The databases 160 and 170 can be implemented as local ordistributed database systems, and the design and development of suitabledatabase systems follows from principles well known in the are includingthose set forth in McGovern et al., A Guide To Sybase and SQL Server,Addison-Wesley (1993). The databases 160 and 170 can be supported by anysuitable data memory device, such as a hard disk drive, RAID system,tape drive system, floppy diskette, or any other suitable system. Thesystem depicted in FIG. 1 includes database devices that are separatefrom the processor 110, however, it will be understood by those ofordinary skill in the art that in other embodiments the database devices160 and 170 can be integrated into the processor 110, or into anothercomponent of the system.

The communication interface 130 can be any suitable interface, includingthose of the type capable of receiving and delivering a call over acommunication network. The communication interface 130 can interfacewith the PSTN, T1 lines, optical transmission lines, IP lines, cellulartransmission stations or any other medium employed for carryingcommunications over a network. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 thecommunication interface is depicted as separate from the processor 110,however, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill that theinterface 130 can be integrated into the processor 110.

To initiate a call, the cellular telephone 105 may transmit a signalincluding an identification code, such as a mobile identification number(MIN) or automated number identification code (ANI), of the cellulartelephone 105 and a dialed number identification system code (DNIS) toantenna 108, which transmits the signal to cellular switch 120. Cellularswitch 120 may forward the call or the signal to prepayment system 100,or may identify, for example, on the basis of the MIN or DNIS, thosecalls associated with a prepayment plan and forward those calls toprepayment system 100. Calls may be directed to prepayment system 100,e.g., via T1 land lines or cellular retransmission.

A signal received by communication interface 130, such as an IP or T1line, may be sent to processor 110. Processor 110 may execute a processthat can authenticate the MIN and DNIS.

This process can be a software program executing on the processor 110,which configures the processor to operate as a system according to theinvention. Such a process can be implemented as a C language computerprogram, or a computer program written in any high level languageincluding C++, Fortran, Java or Basic. Additionally, in an embodimentwhere the processor is a single board computer or a microcontroller, theprocess can be realized as a computer program written in microcode orwritten in a high level language and compiled down to microcode that canbe executed on the target platform. The implementation of a system orprocess as described herein follows from principles well known in theart and these general principles for high level programming are known,and set forth in, for example, Stephen G. Kochan, Programming in C,Hayden Publishing (1983).

Upon recognition of the MIN, the processor may connect to a database 160to identify an account associated with the MIN. The user account mayindicate a rate plan selected by the user. For example, a serviceprovider may offer two rate plans, one of which offers high rates, andthe other of which offers low rates, but charges a fixed monthly fee.The selected rate plan thus assists in determining the cost of thecommunication event. Similarly, the user account may indicate that theuser receives ten free minutes of connection, which again may affect thedetermination of the cost of the communication event.

A user account may also indicate an available balance associatedtherewith, representative of an amount of money paid by the user to aservice provider in advance of a request for service. Thus, the useraccount may be used to identify an available balance associated with thecommunication event. In certain embodiments, a signal may be receivedthat is indicative of a separate account having an available balance.For example, a user initiating a telephone call may also dial the numberof a prepaid phone card or coupon. This number may be associated, forexample, with an account having an available balance of an amount, e.g.,$10, for which the phone card was purchased. In certain embodiments,charges may accrue, additionally or alternatively, to the recipient ofthe communication event, e.g., for a collect call, or for a recipientusing a cellular telephone. In such embodiments, an available balanceassociated with the recipient may also be considered by the systems andmethods described herein. Additional techniques for identifying anavailable balance associated with a communication event are known in theart and may be employed in the systems and methods described hereinwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the systems and methodsdescribed herein.

Upon recognizing that the available balance is sufficient to fund acommunication event, the processor 110 may outpulse the DNIS to thepublic service telephone network (PSTN) through LEC 180. Additionalsystems for implementing the above process or variants thereof, e.g.,using analogous telecommunications systems, will be known to those ofskill in the art and are intended to fall within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Additional information, such as the service provider handling thecommunication event, may be useful in determining the rate scheduleassociated with the communication event. For example, in one embodiment,antenna 108 may be associated with service provider 150A. Thus, a signalmay be received by system 100 indicating that service provider 150A ishandling the communication event. Processor 110 may then consultdatabase 170, which may include information for a plurality of serviceproviders including information relating to rate plans and otherrelevant data, to retrieve information useful for determining a rateschedule for the communication event.

The process executing on processor 110 may then determine a rateschedule for the communication event. A number of variables andconditions may be considered and analyzed in order to determine a rateschedule. For example, a connection rate may be determined, e.g., acharge per unit time for maintaining the communication event. Theconnection rate may be an aggregate of multiple charges, e.g., a fixedamount or rate for an initial period and a rate for time after theinitial period. For example, a connection rate may include an amount ofone dollar for the first minute and a rate of one cent per secondthereafter. The rate may be dependent on the time of day and/or day ofthe week. For example, a rate may be ten cents per minute from midnightto noon, fifteen cents per minute from noon to midnight, and five centsper minute on Saturday. Furthermore, a rate may change during aconnection, for example, as a function of the time of day, day of theweek, or other factor. Thus, a call placed at 11:30 pm may begin at arate of ten cents per minute changing to twelve cents per minute atmidnight. The connection rate may further be influenced by the distancebetween the user and the receiver. For example, a rate may be one centper second between Paris, France and Athens, Greece and two cents persecond between Paris, France and Sydney, Australia.

Furthermore, cellular or mobile communication systems may charge anadditional fee or rate for a connection in addition to charges for anon-wireless connection. Such rates or fees may be affected by variablessuch as those discussed above.

Additional charges that may be included in the rate schedule includetaxes, fixed fees, or other charges. Fixed fees may include servicefees, for example, for using a special feature such as automatic redialor callback, a fee for establishing a connection, or any other feeassociated with the communication event. Taxes may include fixed fees, atax rate, or both.

The rate schedule may further be affected by a rate plan provided to theuser. For example, the user may subscribe to a rate plan which offers afixed connection rate for all times and distances instead of a planwhich charges variable rates based on such conditions. The rate plan mayprovide additional conditions. For instance, the user may be allottedten free minutes each month, or may receive a discount on calls inexcess of thirty minutes per month.

The rate schedule may be used by processor 110 to determine, uponinitiation of the communication event, a duration of the communicationevent for which the accrued charges will be approximately equal to anavailable balance in an account associated with the communication event.In one exemplary embodiment, a time t may be determined for thefollowing equation such that the equation is satisfied:[available balance]=t[connection rate]+[fixed fees]+t[wirelessconnection rate]+[taxes]

In another exemplary embodiment, time t may be divided into periods x,y, and z, for example, wherein x represents an amount of time at aninitial rate, y represents an amount of time at a first rate, and zrepresents an amount of time at a second rate. For example, y mayrepresent an amount of time at an ‘evening’ rate, and z may represent anamount of time at a ‘night’ rate. Thus, an equation such as thefollowing may be used to determine a time t=x+y+z for which the cost ofthe communication event is approximately equal to an available balancein an account associated with the communication event:[Availablebalance]=x[InitRate]+y[EveRate]+z[NightRate]+t[WirelessRate]+[FixedFees]+[Taxes]

In certain embodiments, time t may be increased by a number nrepresentative of a number of free minutes available to the user.

In certain embodiments, the taxes may be variable based on the cost ofthe communication event as a whole. For example, a communication eventmay be taxed at a 5% rate. Thus, an appropriate equation for determiningt may be represented by the following exemplary formula:[available balance]=1.05*(t[connection rate]+[fixed fees]+t[wirelessconnection rate])

Many variations on the above schemes suited to particular circumstances,rate schedules, and other conditions can be developed to suit aparticular application and such variations will be apparent to those ofskill in the art and may be employed in the systems and methodsdescribed herein.

The duration may be reevaluated by process running on processor 110during the course of the communication event, such as upon the change ofa factor which influences the cost of the communication event. Forexample, the user may, during the course of the communication event, addan additional party to the communication event, such as in a conferencecall. Because charges associated with the additional party were notevaluated in earlier determinations, the determined duration does notreflect these additional charges. Reevaluation of the duration mayresult in a shortened maximum duration of the communication event inlight of the additional party. Furthermore, a user employing a mobilecommunication system may travel to a different area, for example, whichis serviced by a different service provider operating under a differentrate plan, or which results in a shorter distance between the user andthe recipient, possibly resulting in an decreased connection rate.Reevaluation may include deducting accrued charges from the availablebalance prior to determining a new duration for the communication event.

Furthermore, system 100 may terminate a communication event when thedetermined duration is reached, thereby preventing the communicationevent from incurring fees in excess of the funds available in theavailable balance. System 100 may send signals, such as voice messagesor beeps, to the user, the recipient, or both prior to termination,e.g., one minute before termination, as a warning that the availablebalance is nearly consumed.

In one embodiment, mobile cellular telephone 105 may travel from alocation served by antenna 108 to a region served by antenna 106,associated with a second cellular switch 125 and a second serviceprovider 150C. As the transfer occurs, a signal may be sent to system100 indicative of the change in service provider. Processor 110 may thenconsult database 170 as described above and determine an updated rateschedule for the call. Processor 110 may then reevaluate the duration ofthe communication event for which the accrued cost of the communicationevent will be approximately equal to the available balance.

As described above, prepayment system 100 may provide a centralizedservice to a plurality of service providers. Alternatively, as shown inFIG. 2, each service provider offering a prepayment plan, e.g., 150A and150C, may have a prepayment system 100 associated with it, rather thanusing a centralized metering service. In such embodiments, calls routedto a particular service provider 150A may be regulated, as describedabove, by a prepayment system 100A particular to that service provider.Upon transfer to a second service provider 150C, the first prepaymentsystem 100A may deduct accrued charges from the available balance andprovide the updated available balance to the second prepayment system100C. Variations and modifications of these systems will be apparent tothose of skill in the art and are intended to fall within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

For example, with reference to FIG. 2, a communication event involvingcellular telephone 105 may be received by antenna 108 and directed tocellular switch 120 and corresponding service provider 150A. Serviceprovider 150A may use prepayment system 100A to regulate the duration ofcalls handled by service provider 150A, terminating calls when anavailable balance is depleted. When cellular telephone 10S travels to aregion serviced by antenna 106, which directs transmissions to cellularswitch 125 and corresponding service provider 150C, service provider150A may transfer the communication event to service provider 150C,which uses prepayment system 110C to regulate the duration of calls.

To facilitate the transfer, prepayment system 100A may determine theaccrued cost of the communication event, deduct this amount from theavailable balance, and transmit the updated available balance to serviceprovider 150C and prepayment system 100C. Alternatively, prepaymentsystem 100A may transmit the accrued cost of the communication event andthe original available balance to service provider 150C and prepaymentsystem 110C, thereby permitting prepayment system 100C to reevaluate theduration of the communication event.

Another embodiment of the instant system which services communicationevents over a network, such as the Internet, a PSTN, or any othersuitable network, is described by FIG. 3. Such a system 200 may includea processor 210 coupled to databases 260 and 270 and a communicationinterface 230. The communication interface may be coupled through anetwork 220 to a plurality of communication devices 240A-C and one ormore service providers 250A-C. Other configurations of the abovecomponents which permit a system to perform the functions describedherein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and areconsidered to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

In this embodiment, communication device 240A, such as a fax machine,telephone, modem, or any other communication device, may initiate acommunication event with device 240B. A signal representative of theinitiation of the communication event may be received by communicationinterface 230 and transmitted to processor 210. The signal, or asubsequent associated signal, may include information associated withthe communication event. For example, the signal may include a coderepresentative of device 240A or 240B, such as phone numbers, an accountcode, or any other code useful for associating an account with thecommunication event. Processor 210 may then search a database 260containing information associated with a plurality of accounts toidentify an account associated with the communication event. The accountmay be associated with an available balance representing a sum of moneyprovided in advance of requesting or receiving communication services.

Processor 210 may then determine a rate schedule for the communicationevent by any method in the art, for example, by using techniquesoutlined above. In one embodiment, a signal is received by system 200indicative of a service provider 250A handling the communication event.Processor 210 may then consult database 270, which may includeinformation for a plurality of service providers including informationrelating to rate plans and other suitable data, to retrieve informationuseful for determining a rate schedule for the communication event.

Processor 210 may then determine, for example, as described above, basedon the rate schedule and the available balance, a duration for thecommunication event such that the accrued cost of the communicationevent will be approximately equal to the available balance. The durationmay be reevaluated during the course of the communication event, such asupon the change of a factor which influences the cost of thecommunication event, as described above. The change of a factor may bedetected, for example, by receiving a signal, e.g., a signal indicatinga change in service provider, or by querying a system, such as a serviceprovider or a cellular switch, to determine the current conditions andcomparing these conditions to previously determined conditions.Furthermore, system 200 may terminate a communication event when thedetermined duration is reached, thereby preventing the communicationevent from incurring fees in excess of the funds in the availablebalance.

A method for metering communication services is shown in FIG. 4. Themethod 300 may comprise identifying the initiation of a communicationevent 310, identifying an account balance associated with thecommunication event 320, determining a rate schedule for thecommunication event 330, and determining a time limit for the event 340.The time limit may be determined by calculating a duration of thecommunication event for which the accrued cost will be approximatelyequal to the account balance.

Identifying the initiation of a communication event 310 may includereceiving a signal indicating the initiation of a communication event.Such a signal may include information representative of the identity ofthe user initiating the communication event, such as the originatingphone number, an automated number identification code (ANI), equipmentidentification number (EIN), or mobile identification number (MIN), thetime at which the event was initiated, the location from which the eventwas initiated, the recipient of the event, such as a dialed numberidentification system code (DNIS), the location of the recipient of theevent, the distance between the user and the recipient, the serviceprovider handling the event, or any other information. Such informationmay be used to determine a number of parameters of the communicationevent.

For example, information representative of the time at which the eventwas initiated may be useful in determining the cost of the communicationevent, because certain rate plans may offer decreased rates at certaintimes, e.g., at night or on weekends. The time of initiation mayalternatively be determined by recording the time at which an initiationsignal is received. The distance of the communication event, or thelocations of the user and the receiver, may also affect the cost of thecommunication event, because rates may, for example, be higher forevents taking place over longer distances.

The information may be used to identify an account and an availablebalance associated therewith 320. The account may be a user account, maybe associated with a phone card or coupon, or may be any other prepaidaccount balance, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art.

In certain embodiments, charges may accrue to the recipient of thecommunication event, e.g., alternatively or additionally. For example, arecipient receiving a telephone call on a cellular telephone may becharged at a certain rate for the duration of the connection. Similarly,the recipient may receive a collect call, and thus assume responsibilityfor the charges associated with the call. Thus, upon identification ofthe initiation of a communication event, an account balance may beidentified for the recipient, a rate schedule may be determined for therecipient, and a duration of the communication may be determined, uponinitiation of the communication event, for which the accrued chargeswill be approximately equal to an available balance in an accountassociated with the communication event. The communication event may beterminated at the end of the determined duration. These functions may beperformed as described above.

Determining a rate schedule for the communication event 330 may beaccomplished by the techniques outlined above, for example, byconsidering the location of the communication parties, the time of day,the rate plan, or other relevant information. Additional methods fordetermining a rate schedule for particular situations and conditionswill be apparent to those of skill in the art and may be employed in thesystems and methods described herein without departing from the scopeand spirit thereof. The rate schedule may then be used to determine atime limit for the communication event 340, for example, by usingtechniques outlined above to determine a duration of the communicationevent for which the accrued cost will be approximately equal to theavailable balance.

In certain embodiments, the duration of the communication event may bereevaluated because of a change in one or more of the factors whichinfluence the cost of the communication event. Thus, the method mayinclude identifying a change in the service provider handling thecommunication event and reevaluating the duration of the communicationevent to reflect the change in these conditions and to more accuratelydetermine the time at which the cost of the communication event will beapproximately equal to the available balance.

The communication event may continue for the determined duration, atwhich point the communication event may be terminated to avoid incurringcharges in excess of the available balance. Prior to termination, theuser, the recipient, or both, may be notified of the impendingtermination, e.g., one minute before termination. Alternatively, if theuser terminates the communication event prior to the determinedduration, an accrued charge may be determined for the services renderedand this charge may be deducted from the available balance.

While the invention has been disclosed in connection with theembodiments shown and described in detail, various equivalents,modifications, and improvements will be apparent to one of ordinaryskill in the art from the above description. For example, the systemsand methods described above may be modified for use with differentnetworks, such as ISDN, PBX, or the Internet, may be configured intointegrated systems, or may be applied to related fields where analogousmetering may be advantageous. Such equivalents, modifications, andimprovements are intended to be encompassed by the following claims.

1. A method, comprising: identifying a monetary account balanceassociated with a request for a communications event, associating a rateplan with the request, the rate plan being associated with at least twopredetermined connection rates, each of the at least two connectionrates defining the respective relationship between services provided bya communications service provider and the fees retained by thecommunications service provider in exchange therefor, computing a rateschedule based on the rate plan, and determining a maximum allowableduration of the communications event by comparing the rate schedule tothe monetary account balance.
 2. A method according to claim 1, whereinassociating a rate plan with the request further includes associating atax charge rate.
 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein computing arate schedule includes incorporating at least one of: an initial rateperiod, at least one fixed fee, available free time, and a cost persecond for the communications event.
 4. A method according to claim 1,wherein the request includes an initiation of a telephone call.
 5. Amethod according to claim 1, wherein the request includes an initiationof a cellular telephone call.
 6. A method according to claim 1, whereinidentifying a monetary account balance associated with the requestincludes at least one of: receiving an account code from a user,receiving an account code from a recipient, identifying a devicereceiving the communications event, and identifying a device initiatingthe communications event.
 7. A method according to claim 1, furthercomprising authorizing completion of the communications event for thedetermined duration.
 8. A method according to claim 7, whereinauthorizing completion of the communications event includes terminatinga telephone call at a switch.
 9. A method according to claim 7, whereinauthorizing completion of the communications event includes terminatinga cellular telephone call at a cellular switch.
 10. A method accordingto claim 1, wherein comparing the rate schedule to the monetary accountbalance includes determining a duration of the communications event forwhich an accrued cost of the communications event is approximately equalto the monetary account balance.
 11. A method according to claim 1,wherein computing a rate schedule includes incorporating at least oneof: an initial rate period and fixed fees.
 12. A method according toclaim 1, wherein computing a rate schedule includes at least one of:computing endpoints of the communications event, determining a distanceof the communications event, considering time of day of thecommunications event, and, considering day of week of the communicationsevent.
 13. A method according to claim 1, further comprising, monitoringthe communications event for a rate schedule altering event, andcomputing an updated rate schedule upon determining the occurrence ofthe rate schedule altering event.
 14. A method according to claim 13,further comprising, updating the monetary account balance before therate schedule altering event, and computing an updated duration of thecommunications event by comparing the updated monetary account balanceand the updated rate schedule.
 15. A method according to claim 13,wherein monitoring the communications event includes determining that anumber of parties to the communications event has changed.
 16. A methodaccording to claim 15, wherein determining that a number of parties tothe communications event has changed, includes determining that a newparty is added to the communications event.
 17. A method according toclaim 13, wherein monitoring the communications event includesdetermining a
 18. A system, comprising: at least one communicationsinterface to receive information representative of a request to initiatea communications event, at least one database to store: informationrepresentative of rate plans for a plurality of communications serviceproviders, each rate plan associated with at least two predeterminedconnection rates, each of the at least two connection rates defining therespective relationship between services provided by a communicationsservice provider and the fees retained by the communications serviceprovider in exchange therefor, and information associated with aplurality of accounts, and at least one processor coupled to the atleast one database and the at least one communications interface, toidentify a monetary account balance associated with the request, toassociate a rate plan with the request, to compute a rate schedule basedon the at least two connection rates from the associated rate plan, andto compare the rate schedule to the monetary account balance todetermine a maximum allowable duration for which an accrued cost of thecommunications event is approximately equal to the monetary accountbalance.
 19. A system according to claim 18, wherein the at least oneprocessor includes instructions to determine a tax charge rate.
 20. Asystem according to claim 18, wherein the rate schedule includes atleast one of: an initial rate period, at least one fixed fee, availablefree time, and a cost per second for the communications event.
 21. Asystem according to claim 18, further comprising a transmitter to send asignal for terminating the communications event at the end of thedetermined duration.
 22. A system according to claim 18, wherein thecommunications event is a telephone call.
 23. A system according toclaim 18, wherein the communications event is a cellular telephone call.24. A system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one processorincludes instructions for identifying a monetary account balance, saidinstructions to perform at least one of: receive an account code from auser, receive an account code from a recipient, identify a deviceinitiating the communication event, and, identify a device receiving thecommunication event.
 25. A system according to claim 18, wherein therate schedule includes at least one of: an initial rate period, fixedfees, available free time, and a cost per second for the communicationsevent.
 26. A system according to claim 18, wherein the at least oneprocessor includes instructions to determine at least one of: endpointsof the communications event, a distance of the communications event,time of day of the communications event, and, day of week of thecommunications event.
 27. A system according to claim 18, where the atleast one processor includes instructions to: monitor the communicationsevent for a rate schedule altering event, and update the rate scheduleupon the occurrence of the rate schedule altering event.
 28. A systemaccording to claim 27, wherein the at least one processor includesinstructions to: update the monetary account balance before the rateschedule altering event, and compute an updated duration of thecommunications event by comparing the updated monetary account balanceand the updated rated schedule.
 29. A system according to claim 27,wherein the instructions to update the rate schedule includeinstructions to determine that a number of parties to the communicationsevent has changed.
 30. A system according to claim 29, wherein theinstructions to determine that a number of parties to the communicationsevent has changed, include instructions to determine that a new party isadded to the communications event.
 31. A system according to claim 27,wherein the instructions to update the rate schedule includeinstructions to determine a change in a communications event distance.32. A method, comprising: storing information representative of rateplans for at least two communications service providers, each of therate plans having at least two predetermined connection rates, each ofthe at least two connection rates defining the respective relationshipbetween services provided by a communications service provider and thefees retained by the communications service provider in exchange therefor, storing information associated with at least two user accountsincluding a respective account balance for each user account,identifying a request to initiate a communications event, determiningthe account balance associated with the request, associating a rate planwith the request, computing a rate schedule based on the at least twoconnection rates of the associated rate plan, and determining a maximumallowable duration of the communications event for which an accrued costof the communications event is approximately equal to the accountbalance based upon the computed rate schedule.
 33. A method according toclaim 32, wherein storing information representative of rate plansincludes storing cost per second connection rates.
 34. A methodaccording to claim 32, further comprising identifying a transfer ofservice from a first service provider to a second service provider, anddetermining a duration of the communications event for which an accruedcost of the communications event is approximately equal to the accountbalance, based on the rate plan of second service provider handling thecommunications event.
 35. A method according to claim 32, whereincomputing a rate schedule includes determining a tax charge rate.
 36. Amethod according to claim 32, wherein computing a rate schedule includesdetermining a factor based on at least one of: available free time,endpoints of the communications event, distance of the communicationsevent, and time of day.
 37. A method according to claim 32, furthercomprising terminating the communications event at the end of thedetermined duration.
 38. A method according to claim 32, furthercomprising deducting the accrued cost of the communications event fromthe available balance upon termination of the communications event. 39.A method according to claim 32, wherein identifying a request toinitiate a communications event includes identifying an initiation of atelephone call.
 40. A method according to claim 32, wherein identifyinga request to initiate a communications event includes identifying aninitiation of a cellular telephone call.
 41. A method according to claim32, wherein determining the account balance includes at least one of:receiving an account code from a user, and identifying a deviceinitiating the request for the communications event.
 42. A methodaccording to claim 32, wherein determining the account balance includesat least one of: receiving an account code from a recipient, andidentifying a device receiving the communications event.
 43. A systemaccording to claim 32, wherein determining a duration includesdetermining a duration before authorizing the communications event. 44.A system according to claim 32, wherein determining a duration includesdetermining a duration based on the service provider handling thecommunications event.
 45. A computer-readable medium having storedthereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructionsincluding instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform the steps of: identifying a monetary accountbalance associated with a request for a communications event,associating a rate plan with the request, the rate plan being associatedwith at least two predetermined connection rates, each of the at leasttwo connection rates defining the respective relationship betweenservices provided by a communications service provider and the feesretained by the communications service provider in exchange therefor,computing a rate schedule based on the rate plan, and determining amaximum allowable duration of the communication event by comparing therate schedule to the monetary account balance.